Vitrifiable photographic decoration.



No. 719,197. PATENTED JAN. 27, 1903.

L. GRABTREB.

VITRIPIABLE P-HOTOGRAPHIG DECORATION.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24. 1902.

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LOUIS CRABTREE, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUEL T.ASTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

"VITRIFI'ABLE PHOTOGRAPHIC DECORATION.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 719,197, dated J anuary 2.7, 1903.

Application filed January 24, 1902. Serial Not 91.074. (No specimens.)

,1?) all whom it may concern.- Be it known that I, LOUIS CRABTREE, a subtract of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and 5 State of New Jersey,have invented new and useful Improvements in Vitrifi'able Photographic Decoration, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of the invention is to provide now fired to vitrification in a s muffle, or oven.

In the process of vitrifica, tion the binding substance and the gelatin used for the suspension of the pigment are completely destroyed bythe heat, so that the mineral color which forms the photograph re- 55 mains burned into the surface of the'article, and is thus rendered indestructible.

In the drawing which forms part of this uitable kiln, 5o

specification the figure isa face view of a por celain dish or plaque having a body A and 60 the photograph B burned in the surface therei of, as above described.

In practice I mix a quantity of mineral colorof any desired shade with glycerin of to certain new and useful improvements in vitrifiable photographic decoration for produc ing photographs more especially designed for decorative purposes on china, glass, earthenware, stoneware,enameled metals, orother 1 5 material capable of vitrifiable decoration the photograph appearing indestructibly on the finished article ina desired color and Without a gelatin carrier.

The invention consists, essentially, in mix- 20 ing a mineral color, sucli as is now used in the decoration of china and earthenware, with 1 a binding substance, such as'pure glycerin, to form a homogeneous pigment, to which is added a saturated'solntion of gelatin to hold 25 the pigment in suspension, the mass being fioatedin a thin layer upon the surface of a carrying or transferring medium-such as paper, for instance-to form a coated plate, which is immersed in a solutionof bichromate go of potash' to render the coating sensitive to the action of light and form a sensitive photographic plate. This sensitive plate is exposed to light under a suitable photographic negative and is then dipped in cold water for 35 the purpose of moistening it, and thenthe exposed moistened plate is pressed in contact with the article to be decorated, the coating being next to the surface of the article. The moistening of the coating causes the latter to no firmly adhere to the surface of the article.

The moist coating readily adheres to the surfaceof the article, and the plate is now soaked in hot water, so that the carrying medium becomes detached from the coating and the 15 parts of the pigment-which have remained soluble are washed out, thus leaving the insoluble mineral color and gelatin on the surface of the article. The photograph thus produced on the article-isallowed to dry and is about two-thirds of its own weight, and this mixture is ground exceedingly fine and then passed through a sieve to remove any lumps that may be in the mixture and to produce a thoroughly homogeneous pigment. This reduction of the color and glycerin is very important, as it insures a uniform suspension of the pigment'in the gelatin and the consequent formation of a photograph having all the desired gradations of light and shade. It is understood that in my process the mineral color and the glycerin form a pigment which is the base of the picture, and the gelatin is merely employed-to hold the pigment in suspension during the process of forming the sensitive plate and while the exposed plate is applied to the article and washed to remove the insoluble portions. In the subsequent process of fixing the gelatin has no further function as far as the pigment is concerned, as the latter is burned into the surface of the article without hindrance by the gelatin, which in turn is destroyed by. the heat applied.

The gelatin solution previously referred to is thoroughly mixed with the reduced color and glycerin and the resultant mass is floated in-a thin layer upon the surface of the transfez-ring or carrying medium to form a coated SCI) iimit myseii to this solution, any other substance, ranch. as bichrcinate of ammonia, ca-

palole of. rendering the coating sensitive to the action of light and becoming iusolubleon exposure to light may be employed.

The effect of the bichromate of potash or like substance on the pigment is to render that portion of the pigment which is subjected to the rays of light during the exposure insoluble in hot water, and hence when the plate applied to the article is treated with hot Water the remaining soluble portions of the pigment are readily washed out, so as to leave The insoluble pigment and gelatin on the an ticle, the gelatin being destroyed in the subsequent operation of firing the article to vitrifaction,

If preferred, thephotograph may be developed upon a sheet of paper specially prepared by being rubbed with wax dissolved in turpentine and then transferred to the article tobe decorated, the article and photograph being then treated as above (loscrilwd.

A mineral color of any desired shade may be selected and mixed with the glycerin to form the pigment, so that the iinal photograph appears in a desired color that is in harmony with the color of the arliclo and the dccora- Lions already thereon.

it expressly understood that by my imirovcnicnt it is of the utmost importance that the pigment suspended in the gelatin be rendered insoluble in hot water by the action of the bicl'n'oniare of potash, so that the insole blo portion of the pigment remains as a-photograph on the surface oi. thearticle after all claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The herein-described method of producing vitrified photographic decoration on china, glass and other articles capable of vitrifiable decoration consisting in forming a base for the decoration to be produced by mixing a mineral color with glycerin, then adding gela'tin to the base to form a mass in which the base is held in suspension, then applying the mass as a coating to a carrying medium to fo in a coated plate, then subjecting-this plate to the action of bichromate of potash or its equivalent to render the coating sensitive to the action of light, then exposing the plate to the action of light under a negative, then applying the plate to the article to be decorated, with the coating in contact with the surface of the article, then subjecting the plate to the action of hot water to remove the carrying medi um and Wash out the soluble parts or". the coating and leave the insoluble base as a photograph on the article, and finally firing the lattei to vitrify the photograph on the article and to destroy the gelatin, as set forth.

In testimou y whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUlS ORABTREE.

.Vitnesses:

THEO. G. HosTER, EVERARD BoL'roN lvIARSHALL. 

